


Something That's Never Been Done Before

by Cones_McMurphy



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: F/M, I may continue this if people like it, M/M, all the characters besides Jack and Davey are only mentioned, just a silly high school AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 12:25:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12653499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cones_McMurphy/pseuds/Cones_McMurphy
Summary: David Jacobs gets teased a lot in school. Jack Kelly is captain of the baseball team and the most popular boy in school.





	Something That's Never Been Done Before

**Author's Note:**

> Just another high school AU. I might continue this with a sequel fic if people like this, so let me know in the comments if you want more!

David hated taking the bus. It was loud, smelled like something had died somewhere in the back a long time ago and it hadn’t been completely cleaned, and he always, without fail, found a wad of someone else’s chewed up gum on his seat. But, some mornings, David had no choice but to take the bus.

Some mornings, after getting his little brother Les up and ready and out the door to the elementary school, he didn’t have time left to walk to school without being late. And if there was one thing David Jacobs hated more than taking the bus, it was being late for school. He wished that his family could’ve afforded to buy another car when he turned sixteen and was old enough to drive himself to school, but they barely had the money to buy him new clothes. 

He looked down at the plain white dress shirt he was wearing. Some of the threads were lose, and there was a spattering of ink stains on his sleeves. If you looked closely, you could tell it was fitted—a woman’s blouse, not a men’s dress shirt. It belonged to his older sister, Sarah, before it was his. A lot of his clothes were hers first. He frowned, suddenly feeling self conscious about it, like everyone would know that he was wearing women’s clothes. He really didn’t need another reason to be teased. He was already poor, over achieving, and either well groomed or soft spoken or non-athletic enough to be labeled a ‘sissy’ and a ‘girl’ and occasionally a ‘fairy.’ He really didn’t need to add ‘wears girl clothes’ to the list.

This was one of the mornings he had to take the bus. Les had left a few minutes before, but David was still shoving the last of his books into his messenger bag. He steeled himself for the day ahead, and stepped out the door of his family’s cramped apartment and made his way to the elevator. They lived on the tenth floor of their building. It wasn’t a particularly nice building. The ceiling was cracked, the carpets smelled like mildew, and the lights flickered most nights. At least they had a home, even if he shared a bed with his little brother.

He leaned against the wall, waiting for the elevator to come back up. A part of him wished that the doors wouldn’t open, so he wouldn’t have to go to school. The teasing wasn’t as bad when Sarah was still in school with him, because she was pretty enough and social enough to blend in with the other kids, and that made David at least a little bit cool by proxy. But she graduated and went off to college at the end of David’s freshman year, and the rest of high school had gone down hill from there.

He was seventeen now, a junior, and he wanted nothing more than to get the hell out. Of course, that was easier said that done. Sarah had gotten lucky. She’d gotten a full ride to a good school, because she had incredible grades, _and_ a mountain of extra curricular activities. David had good grades, but he didn’t have as many extra curriculars. He wasn’t good at talking to people, and most clubs were somewhat dependent on being able to interact with other people and not be heinously awkward and stunted. He did have the school paper going for him. His editorials were always highly praised by the English teachers, and there was a good chance he was going to get to be editor senior year.

Mostly, though, he tried to keep to himself.

The elevator beeped, and the doors opened. There was another boy already in the elevator. He leaned against the back, with his head down, picking something off his fingers. David wasn’t sure who it was, but there were only a few boys his age who lived in the building, and David had met all of them. David hit the button for the ground floor. The boy in the corner laughed.

“I already pressed the button, Jacobs.” He lifted his head as David turned to see who it was. He hoped it was someone nice. He wasn’t ready to start the teasing yet. _At least wait until we get to school_ , he thought. But it wasn’t someone David would be happy, or even unbothered, to share an elevator ride with. It was Jack Kelly.

Jack Kelly was one of the most popular boys in school, captain of the baseball team, and just as cocky and selfish as you’d expect him to be. David had lived in the same building as him for years. Jack lived on the top floor, a penthouse, he always called it. David had never seen the penthouse suite, but he figured it must be pretty lavish, maybe the only thing in the building that saw any kind of upkeep.

David didn’t respond to Jack. Anything he said might get him teased. Instead, he just stood as still as he could as the elevator descended. Jack wasn’t the worst of the boys, he wasn’t aggressive, he didn’t pick on David for wearing his sister’s old clothes, and he was best friends with the weakling kid who got stuck being batboy for the baseball team every year. But Jack was still kind of a jerk. Jack always thought he was better than everyone because he was athletic and handsome and dating the hottest girl in school and it was exhausting. 

David wasn’t sure how Jack had even landed said girlfriend, Katharine. Katharine was too good for Jack, and everyone knew it. She was beautiful, with flaming red locks that caught the sun and became a halo whenever she went outside, and big, beautiful brown eyes. David would’ve been surprised if there was a single boy in school who didn’t have a crush on Katharine, himself included. And she wasn’t just a pretty face, either. She was a shoe-in for valedictorian next year, and she’d already made editor of the school paper, even though she wasn’t a senior yet. 

Jack, on the other hand, was nothing more than a delinquent. 

David glanced over at him. He’d gone back to picking at his fingers. David still wasn’t sure why, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to ask. Instead he just watched the numbers above the elevator doors light up in sequential order as they got closer to the bottom floor. _7…6…5…_

The elevator shuddered to a stop. David froze. Jack looked up, eyes wide with uncertainty, and a reasonable amount of fear. The elevator shook again, and fell a few feet before stopping again. The lights flickered and then went out, leaving the elevator lit only dimly by the emergency lights, and the whirr of the motor and pulley system that powered the elevator replaced with silence. They were stuck. 

The first thing Jack did was pound on the elevator doors and yell for help, which proved to be futile after a few minutes.

“No one’s gonna come.” David said quietly.

“Someone might hear,” Jack insisted, slamming his open palm against the door again. 

“And do what, exactly?” David put a hand on his hip. “Even if someone hears, and calls a repairman, it’s still going to be awhile. What’s the point? Might as well wait.” 

Jack shrugged and backed away from the door. “Seemed better than sitting around.” 

“Oh,” David scoffed, “I’m sure you love this. It’s not like you care about school. This is probably a dream come true for you.”

Jack laughed humorlessly and shook his head. “Hey, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

David rolled his eyes. “Sure I do. You’re Jack Kelly. The only thing you care about is impressing your dumb jock friends and being ‘cool’ in high school. Well, I got news for you, there’s a lot more to life than being King of Theodore Roosevelt High”

Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise. He probably wasn’t used to people talking to him that way. “You got some nerve.” 

David opened his mouth to respond, insults hanging on the tip of his tongue, when the elevator shuddered to life for a moment, shaking and falling another few feet, and stopping again. Jack fell back against the wall, all color draining from his face. 

“Hey…” David said hesitantly, as the elevator stopped shaking, “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Jack snapped.

“You don’t look fine.” 

“Leave it alone, Jacobs. I said I’m fine.” Jack brought his hands from the walls and started picking again, and as Jack focused on his fingers, his stress seemed to listen just slightly. A nervous tick. 

“Are you,” David paused, unsure if he should continue. “Are you scared?” 

“Pfff,” Jack shook his head. “No.”

“I don’t think I believe you.”

“I don’t care if you believe me or not,” Jack shrugged. “I’m not scared.”

David huffed. “Maybe if you admitted that there was something wrong, I could help you. I could, I don’t know, distract you?”

Jack looked up at David in surprise, his emerald green eyes reflecting the dim safety lights of the elevator. “You mean that?” 

“Sure,” David shrugged. “I calm my little brother down all the time. I’d say you’re mentally about eight years old, so how different can it be?” 

Jack frowned. “That was uncalled for.” 

“Maybe so,” David smirked, “But the look on your face was worth it.”

“Are you trying to calm me down or piss me off?” Jack snapped.

“Your friends tease me everyday,” David shrugged off his messenger bag and set it on the floor, “Forgive me for seizing an opportunity for a little revenge.”

“My friends?” Jack furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about? What friends of mine tease you?”

“The Delanceys? Or how about Tony—” David cut himself off, “I’m sorry, _Racetrack_ Higgins? Most of the baseball team?”

“The Delanceys ain’t my friends,” Jack shook his head. “And Race teases everyone, even me. He doesn’t mean anything by it.” 

“He’s got a big mouth,” David crossed his arms. 

“Look, I’m sorry on Race’s behalf. And anyone else on the team that gives you a hard time,” Jack spat in his hand and put it out for David to shake, “Truce? At least while we’re stuck here?”

“That’s disgusting.” But even so, David looked down at Jack’s outstretched hand. His fingers were flecked with dried paint, and David realized that was what he’d been picking at earlier. David sighed and took Jack’s hand. “Truce.”

Jack smiled, all the way up to his bright eyes. “Good.”

David tried to inconspicuously wipe the spit off his hand, but he definitely failed.

“So…” David hesitated. “What should we talk about?”

“You work with Katharine on the school paper, right?” Jack asked, sliding down to sit on the floor of the elevator. 

David followed suit, not wanting to be standing while Jack sat. “Yeah. She’s nice. Not sure what exactly she sees in you, though.” 

Jack huffed. “I thought we called a truce.” 

“Sorry,” David grinned cheekily, “Old habits die hard.” 

“Well, Katharine happens to find me very handsome and charismatic.”

“I’m sure your penthouse suite helps, too,” David rolled his eyes. 

Jack furrowed his brow in confusion. “What?”

“You live in the penthouse, right? That’s what you say all the time. Has it never occurred to you that Katharine might be a gold digger?” David shrugged.

Jack busted out laughing. “Buddy, you know we live in the same building right? I don’t live in no penthouse suite. That’s just something I say, y’know, because I just live on the top floor.” 

David blushed beet red. “Oh.”

“Yep. I’m just as poor as you, and half as smart.”

David felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Maybe he hadn’t been fair to Jack. He’d always just assumed that someone that popular had to have a much better life than he did. Everyone seemed to love Jack. David wasn’t sure what it was, but people were drawn to Jack Kelly like moths to a flame. No one ever really wanted to spend time with David. He wasn’t that kind of person. “I’m sorry.” 

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Jack forced a smile. “Medda and I, we have a pretty good life. Even if I don’t make it into college, I’ll figure something out.” 

“Medda?” 

“My foster mother.” Jack started picking at the paint on his hands again.

“Oh.” David said again. 

“She took me in a few years back. She wanted to take in my brother, Charlie, too, but he’s sick a lot, and she couldn’t afford the medical bills.” The gleam in Jack’s eyes had faded.

“What happened to Charlie?” David asked quietly. “I mean, if you don’t mind me asking. I don’t mean to pry.” 

“He’s still in foster care,” Jack frowned. “But he goes to our school, so I still get to see him. He’s the batboy for the baseball team.”

David’s eyes widened. He’d seen Jack with that kid, except everyone at school called him "Crutchie" because he walked with a slight limp. He always thought it was weird that one of the most popular boys in school would hang out with a kid like Charlie, but he never thought it was because they were brothers. “Oh,” was all he could say. 

“You’ve seen me with him, haven’t you?” It wasn’t really a question. Jack knew. 

“Yeah. I had no idea that he was your brother,” David said softly. “I’m sorry that they separated you. That must be so hard.” David couldn’t imagine being separated from Les, not being able to protect him.

“You have no idea.” 

“Look,” David sighed. “Maybe I misjudged you.”

“Ya think?” Jack laughed.

“Well, in my defense, you always act like you’re hot shit at school. What else was I, the kid who wears his old sister’s hand-me-downs and has no friends, supposed to think of you?” David shrugged.

“Fair.” Jack nodded. “Wait, you wear your sister’s clothes?” 

David’s face flushed. “Yeah. I mean, sometimes. My parents can’t always afford to but me new clothes. Money is tight these days,” David scoffed at himself. “Has been for awhile. My dad got sick when I was a kid and couldn’t work for awhile. He’s better now, but the hospital bills plus him not working…I don’t think my parents will ever fully pay off their debts.” 

“Man, I’m sorry.” Jack took a step forward and clapped a hand on David’s back.

“Hey, I’m used to it,” David said. Jack laughed, his hand was still on David’s back and for some reason it made David nervous. He knew that Jack wasn’t going to beat him up at this point, but still. Something about it made his heart rate jump up ever so slightly. He shrugged off Jack’s hand and took a step forward.

“You know what, _Davey_ ,” Jack drawled the nickname. David thought he should hate it, but he actually kind of liked the way it sounded coming out of Jack’s mouth. “I think we should be friends.”

“W-What?” David turned around to face Jack, shock written all over his face.

Jack stretched out his hand for David to shake. “What’s the matter? Am I not good enough for you?” Jack pouted. “I thought we were getting along.” 

“No, no, I,” David shook his head nervously. “I just didn’t expect, I mean…Why would you want to be friends with me? I’m, y’know, a nerd.”

“So, maybe you need someone to make you cool by association,” Jack shrugged. “You seem like a good guy, Dave. I like good people. I don’t care who you are.”

David let himself smile. “Well, okay. Okay, yeah. Let’s be friends.” He took Jack’s outstretched hand. And then dropped it immediately. “Why is your hand wet?!”

“Oh, I spit in it.”

“That’s still disgusting!” David wiped his hand on his pants furiously. “Was this just a trick to gross me out again? I can’t believe I actually thought you wanted to be my friend.”

“No, no,” Jack shook his head. “I spit in my hand to make it an official pact." 

David slowly stopped wiping his hands, “Oh.”

“So, can we try that again?” Jack asked, and then he spit in his hand again. 

David nodded, and lifted his own hand to spit in it. He hesitated for a moment, glancing over his fingers to meet Jack’s expectant gaze. _Suck it up, Jacobs. You’re finally going to make a friend. Don’t screw it up._ He closed his eyes and spit in the palm of his hand. He lowered his hand slowly. Jack took it, and shook it firmly. This time David noticed that Jack’s hand was surprisingly warm, but very calloused, probably from playing baseball.

“So, we’re friends?” Jack David square in the eye, and David swore he saw something close to real vulnerability in his eyes. Insecurity wasn’t something David would’ve pegged on Jack Kelly.

David smiled reassuringly. “Friends,” he confirmed.

Jack dropped David’s hand then, and returned his smile. “Great.”

“How long do you think we’ll be in here?” David asked, trying to subtly wipe the spit from his hand. 

“You’re not subtle, David,” Jack chuckled. “And I have no idea, but I have to say, I’m a lot less nervous now.”

“So, I did distract you!” David was weirdly proud of that, which was stupid, because you could probably distract Jack Kelly with anything shiny, if you tried. 

“Yeah, you did.” Jack caught David’s gaze, and held it for a few seconds. That same fear David felt when Jack put his hand on David’s shoulder crept back up, and if anything it was more intense. His heart was practically hammering in his chest. 

“So,” David said awkwardly, breaking eye contact, “What now?”

“We can keep talking, I guess.” Jack sighed. “What else are we gonna do?”

“I suppose you’re right,” David conceded. 

“Can I ask you something?” Jack took a step forward. 

“You just did.” 

“Oh, so you’re not just smart, you’re a smart ass, too?” Jack shook his head. “I mean, something else, genius.”

David nodded. “Shoot.” 

Jack took another step toward David, so he was mere inches away. David swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way his heart was racing. “Are you…” 

“Am I?”

“Wearing your sister’s clothes?” Jack smirked and took a big step back.

“Are you gonna make fun of me?” David asked, folding his arms across his chest. 

“No, I just…” Jack chuckled. “I noticed the ink stains on your cuffs and the seams are a little bit fitted, I can tell. So, I just thought…”

“You thought right,” David sighed and frowned. “Please just let it go.”

“Hey, we’re friends now, remember?” Jack was still smiling. “You could wear a ruffled pink dress to school and I wouldn’t care.” 

David breathed a sigh of relief. “I could never wear a dress to school.”

“Why not?”

“The Delanceys would beat me to a pulp.” How was that not obvious to Jack?

“You don’t have to worry about the Delanceys anymore,” Jack said solemnly, “We’re friends, that means I’ve got your back. And so does the rest of the team.”

“The rest of the team?”

“The baseball team,” Jack said, “They all have to be your friends, too.”

“They do?” 

“Am I the captain of the team or not?”

“You can’t dictate their friends.”

“No, but all those boys, they listen to me, for whatever reason.” Jack shrugged. “They like me. I’m their leader.” 

“And you’re gonna tell them to lay off me?” David’s eyes were wide with shock. For some reason he wasn’t expecting his new found friendship to last once they got out of the elevator. “Really?” 

“Well, yeah, of course.”

David smiled slightly. “Thanks.”

It was at that moment, as David realized just how serious Jack was about being his friend, about protecting him, and about trusting him, that the elevator lights flickered on, and it roared to life. A few seconds later and they were moving.

“We’re goin’ down,” Jack noted.

“Thanks, Captain Obvious.” But David was still smiling. “I think we’re gonna get out of here. And we only missed first period!”

“We still have to walk to school.” 

“I’m including that,” David said as the elevator reached the bottom floor.

“You’re a nerd, you know that?” Jack laughed, walking out of the elevator. 

David followed Jack, laughing back easily. “Hey, man, you’re the one who decided to be friends with me.” 

“You win this round, David.”

When they got to school, slightly out of breath and frantic, and explained to the attendance secretary why they were late, she laughed at them. “You expect me to believe that?”

“Ma’am, _please_.” David pleaded. “Just excuse us from first period. I promise we’re telling the truth.”

She looked from Jack to David and back again, clearly making up her mind. “Alright, fine. But only because you’re such a good kid, David. That story is still outrageous.”

David looked at the boy standing next to him, Jack Kelly: captain of the baseball team, most handsome and popular boy in school, and now? David’s friend.

Outrageous didn’t even _begin_ to cover it.


End file.
